United Way of S.J.'s CEO finds new purpose in past

STOCKTON - For years, when Andy Prokop told his life story, he glossed over the part about Vietnam. Like a lot of soldiers, he met hostility returning from the unpopular war.

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By Scott Smith

recordnet.com

By Scott Smith

Posted Apr. 30, 2011 at 12:01 AM

By Scott Smith

Posted Apr. 30, 2011 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

STOCKTON - For years, when Andy Prokop told his life story, he glossed over the part about Vietnam. Like a lot of soldiers, he met hostility returning from the unpopular war.

As a 23-year-old Army veteran, Prokop returned home in 1970. He was angry and started fights in a heartbeat.

Today, at 64, he's upbeat as president and CEO of the United Way of San Joaquin County, raising money for local charities.

People know him as a nice guy. He has served in leadership with the Child Abuse Prevention Council, the Jose Hernandez Reaching for the Stars Foundation and Mary Graham Children's Shelter. He's been called "Mr. Spear" of the Stockton Asparagus Festival.

This recent chapter of his life has been well documented, but not his time in Vietnam.

When he came home from the war, Prokop stored his uniform, put away his dog tags and set aside the memories - like a photograph of him as a helicopter door gunner circling high over Saigon.

"I put it into a footlocker, and it stayed there 40-plus years," Prokop said.

He's only recently started opening up. Prokop no longer skips over the Vietnam part of his narrative.

They told Prokop they wanted to honor him as the post's first-ever Veteran of the Year at an annual dinner.

The ceremony will be held tonight, 36 years after the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

Prokop not only decided to accept the honor, but he also looked again inside that locker and started reflecting on his past. The honor has given him a new purpose.

Prokop says he wants to tell his Vietnam story if it can help soldiers today coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq. Many are traumatized, seriously injured and don't get the care they deserve, he said.

"Here a person gives their body up, sometimes give their lives up," he said. "Yet there's no financial compensation to those left behind."

Tino Adame, the Karl Ross post commander, said Prokop was a natural choice for the honor. He served when his country called him to duty and now he is dedicated to his community, said Adame, also a Vietnam veteran.

Many veterans remain quiet about their time of service, Adame said. It is not as much about telling war stories as it is helping other veterans who are struggling.

Hearing Prokop may encourage others to step up, Adame said.

"When I found out he was a door gunner, I said, 'Wow,' " Adame said. "He's a good example of what positive people can do."

Prokop's Army service marks one chapter in his sometimes-rocky early life. Overcoming adversity is a theme.

Prokop was born in Fresno to an abusive and alcoholic mother. He was in and out of foster homes. As a teenager, he got a job at McDonald's.

After high school, he entered college to become a history teacher. That was derailed by the military draft, which soon landed him in Vietnam and the bloody Tet Offensive of 1968.

He first repaired helicopters - sometimes in the jungle under enemy fire - and next became a gunner, hanging from the door of a Huey taking fire while swooping in at 100 mph to retrieve infantry soldiers from the jungle.

Most door gunners like him in the 117th Assault Helicopter Co. were injured or killed. Despite the odds and 800 hours in combat, Prokop returned home without a physical scar. But inside, things were different.

He recalled his sister driving him from Travis Air Force Base home to Fresno. He had on the same jungle fatigues he wore 24 hours earlier and half a world away. Soldiers plucked from the combat zone, he said, received no help adjusting to life at home.

"Most of us slinked through airports," Prokop said.

Soldiers were called "baby killers" and derided, causing Prokop to bottle up his past with shame. While he's now coming to terms with his military past, there are dark parts that will remain unspoken.

"The thing you're not proud of is that you had to be in conflict to ultimately take someone's life," he said. "Well, they were trying to take yours, so you did it."

Back home in Fresno, he returned to what was familiar - fast-food work.

He took a job at Straw Hat Pizza and rolled dough for six months, which he found therapeutic. His supervisors saw management potential.

Prokop credits his mentors at Pizza Hut for helping him control his hair-trigger temper and cultivate his people skills. He was fired from a previous job because he punched a guy.

That was a "whole different Andy," said Prokop, who has been married to his wife, Carol, for 39 years. They have two adult children.

Over the years, Prokop rose up the ranks of the fast-food industry and eventually managed 350 Carl's Jr. restaurants for the company's founder, the late Carl Karcher.

"He was like the dad I never had," Prokop said.

Karcher sold Prokop four Stockton Carl's Jr. restaurants for the price of one. He eventually sold them off before taking over leadership of the local United Way chapter in 1999.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said Prokop's community service shows his dedication to helping others.

"I'm glad that Andy will be honored," McNerney said in a written statement. "He's earned this recognition and our thanks for all that he has done for our country and our community."

Before this recognition, Prokop would joke about it, saying he turned to fast food because there was no demand for a door gunner back in the States. "That's about as far as it went," he said with a chuckle.

He is still trying to figure out how to use his experiences in Vietnam. Deeply religious, Prokop said he believes God brought him through that so he can now help others.

He is grateful for the recognition and newfound pride.

"For 40 years, this lay dormant in my heart and footlocker," Prokop said. "Had they not given me this award, this stuff would probably still be in that footlocker."